I believe the 'conventional' '40-something leaving IT to become an electrician' route is:
1. Decide how to spend the £50k you'll be earning working for yourself.
2. Think up a name for your company.
3. Buy around £3k of tools, many of which you'll never use.
4. Pay a training company around £5k for a domestic installer short (around 6 weeks) course which they tell you will do everything you want.
5. Buy a van and get it signwritten (£3k+)
6. Join a "competent person" scheme using work you've done on your house as an assessment piece (around £400 per year).
7. Go out into the big wide world to put plugs on table lamps for old ladies.
8. Realise you haven't got a clue what you're doing, the course you paid £5k for didn't teach you anything, and offer to work for a time-served sparky to gain some experience.
9. Offer to work for free for the experience because nobody wants to employ a 40-something with no experience or real qualifications.
10. Go back to working in IT at least £12k lighter.
That might sound pessimistic but that's the reality. I spent 3 years training as an electrician when I was in my late 20s and managed to 'break into' the trade before the credit crunch, but nowadays there are more experienced electricians looking for work than there are jobs, and more 40-something former IT workers with no electrical experience looking for work than you can shake a stick at.
Prove me wrong....
1. Decide how to spend the £50k you'll be earning working for yourself.
2. Think up a name for your company.
3. Buy around £3k of tools, many of which you'll never use.
4. Pay a training company around £5k for a domestic installer short (around 6 weeks) course which they tell you will do everything you want.
5. Buy a van and get it signwritten (£3k+)
6. Join a "competent person" scheme using work you've done on your house as an assessment piece (around £400 per year).
7. Go out into the big wide world to put plugs on table lamps for old ladies.
8. Realise you haven't got a clue what you're doing, the course you paid £5k for didn't teach you anything, and offer to work for a time-served sparky to gain some experience.
9. Offer to work for free for the experience because nobody wants to employ a 40-something with no experience or real qualifications.
10. Go back to working in IT at least £12k lighter.
That might sound pessimistic but that's the reality. I spent 3 years training as an electrician when I was in my late 20s and managed to 'break into' the trade before the credit crunch, but nowadays there are more experienced electricians looking for work than there are jobs, and more 40-something former IT workers with no electrical experience looking for work than you can shake a stick at.
Prove me wrong....